1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a guide rail for a driver which can be driven and which is coupled to a movable vehicle component, especially a sliding roof cover.
2. Description of Related Art
German Patent DE 44 22 646 C1 discloses a frame for motor vehicle roofs on which a cover for the roof opening is movably supported. The cover can be moved by means of a drive cable which is guided in a guide channel which is formed on the frame. The guide channel is formed such that it surrounds the drive cable in its axial direction alternately on different sides. The cover is supported via sliding blocks on separate guide rails which are made or mounted on the frame so that it can be moved selectively between the closed and the open position. These separate guide rails are disclosed, for example, in published German Patent Application DE 28 56 015 A1 and counterpart U.S. Pat. No. 4,293,161.
The primary object of the present invention is to provide the initially mentioned guide rail with improved functionality and simplified production as well as to devise a frame with such a guide rail.
The object is achieved by a guide rail for a driver which can be driven and which is coupled to a movable vehicle component, especially a sliding roof cover, with a guide channel for holding an elongated, axially movable drive element and with a guide for movable support of the driver which is connected to the drive element, the guide channel fitting around the drive element alternating in its axial direction on different sides, on one of the sides, the respective surrounding part being interrupted by a continuous slot, and a connecting part which connects the drive element to the driver being movably held in the slot.
The guide rail with the guide channel can be produced with a simple, two-part mold tool, for example, for injection molding without undercuts. By the shaping of the continuous slot, the drive element or drive cable can be connected to the driver so that, on the guide for the drive element or the drive cable, a guide for the driver, which can generally be a slider or a carriage, can be integrated in a compact arrangement. The guide rail can also be integrated later in one piece on the frame of, for example, a sliding roof, or it is mounted later on such a frame.
The object is also achieved by the frame of a motor vehicle roof, with a movable roof part for closing or clearing a roof opening, especially a sliding roof frame, with at least one guide rail, in which the frame is either an injection molding made of plastic or a die casting made of metal.
Embodiments of the guide rail are explained in detail below with reference to the drawings.